Disney Cruise Ship Rescues Carnival Passenger Who Fell Into Atlantic Ocean

A Disney cruise ship sailing off the coast of Florida has rescued a Carnival passenger who went overboard during the night.

Photo: Disney Cruise Ship Rescues Carnival Passenger Who Fell Into Atlantic Ocean

Disney spokeswoman Rena Langley says the Disney Wonder pulled the passenger out of the water at about 12:45 am ET after responding to a call for help from the Carnival Sensation.

Langley says the Disney ship was about 17 miles south of Port Canaveral when it made the rescue, and the ship brought the passenger into the port where he was taken to a hospital by ambulance as a precaution.

"We're incredibly proud of our crew members who were able to locate the individual in distress and bring him safely aboard the Disney Wonder," says Langley, USA Today reports.

The Carnival Sensation notifed the U.S. Coast Guard around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday that a 34-year-old man had gone overboard about 30 miles off Port St. Lucie. The Disney Wonder was in the same area and joined the search.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Nick Ameen said early Thursday that a Disney rescue boat spotted the man and brought him on board. Ameen says the man was "physically exhausted" but otherwise fine after treading water for about an hour and a half.

It's not clear how the man went overboard. Ameen says the two cruise ships were determining how to return the man to the Sensation, MiamiHerald.com reports.

The Coast Guard launched a search helicopter and a 47-foot-long rescue boat from Fort Pierce. An alert also went out to seagoing vessels to assist with the search. The Disney Wonder also responded to the call and spotted the man.

"We were on our way back from the Bahamas and did respond to an emergency call," said Rena Langley, spokeswoman for Disney Cruise Lines.

"We found him but didn’t know how long he was in the water. We deployed a four-crew rescue boat and brought him aboard. Clearly, we are very pleased to respond and assist with this. We’re proud of our crewmembers," reports The News-Press.